Happy Birthday to Me!

Some Thoughts About My Birthday and Life

February 17th is my birthday! Yep, it’s been 166 years since that lucky day. Or should that be 168 years? There’s a bit of a dispute about the year of my birth — 1851 or 1853, and honestly, it’s been so long now, I can’t tell you from here looking back. It gets kind of foggy.

No matter. It’s a long time and many years ago. People still remember me, though. That’s what counts. Look at the flowers in the picture of my resting place. People still drop by to leave things off and say a prayer or good wishes. Why do you think that is? I think it’s because of the “dash.”

Gravesite of Poker Alice Tubbs in Sturgis, South Dakota, St. Aloysius Cemetery. She’s gone but not forgotten!

They say that the birthdate and the death date on
your stone isn’t what counts the most. What really matters in life is all that
happened in between — the dash between the dates of your life. I got to live a
long life and filled it with love, marriage, loss, passion, and career in the
cards doing what I most enjoyed: playing to win. I had a full life.

It wasn’t always perfect. But it was filled with
risk and wonderful adventures. I saw towns grow up around me. And I saw some
burn. I knew scoundrels and sweethearts. I made my own way through tough times.

So happy birthday to me, Poker Alice! I hope you are
living your “dash” to the fullest!